Team Stats

Shots (on goal)

Saves

Fouls

Corner Kicks

Offsides

DARTMOUTH, Mass. - Carried by three first-half goals, the Framingham State men's soccer team never trailed in the entirety of their 4-2 victory over UMass Dartmouth in the 2017 season opener at Cressy Field on Friday afternoon.

The Rams were carried by junior Isaac De Souza's (Acton, Mass.) pair of goals and single assist on the contest, while junior Ken Stahovish (Springfield, Mass.) assisted on both of De Souza's scores. Goalkeeper Josh Arno (Natick, Mass.) turned aside four shots in 78 minutes of action.

For the Corsairs, sophomore Elvis Mendes (Brockton, Mass.) registered a goal and an assist, with senior Fabio Araujo (Fogo, Cape Verde) providing the other score.

In just the opening minutes of the match, Ram junior Justin Hansen (Levittown, N.Y.) took advantage of a breakaway by beating the Corsair defense straight up the middle and finishing to the left side of the net. The Rams then doubled their lead via a Stahovish pass from the right sideline to the middle of the box, setting up De Souza for his first goal.

Just a minute later, UMass Dartmouth netted its first tally of the year through Mendes' shot off of the goalie's deflection. De Souza answered back by crossing the Corsair keeper atop the box and utilizing his left foot to extend the Framingham State lead to 3-1.

Mendes assisted on the second Corsair goal at the 32:03 mark from deep in the left corner, finding Araujo to inch closer to the Rams, concluding the high-scoring first-half with a 3-2 score.

Following the intermission, both sides each fired several shots on goal but key saves Arno andDanny Andrade(New Bedford, Mass.) kept the game close. In the 80th minute, Framingham State freshman Vinicius Rosa (Westborough, Mass.) put the margin out of reach by beating the goalie at the top left of the 18 yard box for an uncontested score.

Inside the Numbers

Friday marked Framingham State's first-ever victory over UMass Dartmouth, dating back to when the teams began meeting in 1978.

Each squad had attempted eight shots in the first half, with the Rams leading the advantage 14-13 overall.

After posting four points in the entirety of last year,Mendes began his season on a high note with a team-high three points on the contest.

Entering Friday, the Corsairs had not lost a season-opener since 2011, when they fell to Western New England, 3-1.

Up Next

The Corsairs get right back into action on Saturday with another home affair - this time against WPI at 4 p.m